Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, or Nas, wrote in one of his songs “Still i’m sayin’ why do we reside in the ghetto with a million ways to die?” DeShawn, a young boy that lived in the projects of Chicago wanted to go to school, provide for his family, and stay away from the gangs. But, he needed the money to provide for his family, and school wasn’t really leading him anywhere. So he made a choice to join the Douglass Disciples, something he never really wanted to do. I believe that DeShawn had a choice because he chose to start drinking and smoking, to drop out of school, and to join a gang.
Some people believe that DeShawn didn’t have a choice, because he needed food and money for his family, and the only way he could get that is to join the gang. Although DeShawn needed money to buy the necessities for his family, he didn’t have to join the gang, no matter what he thought. One of DeShawn’s friends got a job at a restaurant nearby; no matter the conditions he could make money another way, besides being in a gang.
First, DeShawn made a choice to start drinking and smoking. In the book DeShawn went through rough patches, and when he did he said the only way things would get better was if he drank and smoked. DeShawn said, “... I stared out into the dark and smoked some bud. The more I smoked and
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When DeShawn was in a hard place, all he had was alcohol, drugs, and the gang. That's what life is like for so many young and older people living in the projects, and they need help. With a better education and someone good to look up to, their lives would change dramatically. Inner city projects and gang life is a topic that should be brought up more, and people should start helping. If kids want to get out of the projects, they need education, but without it, they are lost. We need to help those kids get a better